


Grandpas

by DignityWhatDignity



Category: This Is Us (TV)
Genre: Character Death, Coloring, Gen, parenting, post-ep Memphis, post-ep s01ep16
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:02:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25283578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DignityWhatDignity/pseuds/DignityWhatDignity
Summary: “I have four grandpas.”“You sure do. Not a lot of kids have that many.”
Relationships: Annie Pearson & Randall Pearson, William Hill/Jessie (This Is Us)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	Grandpas

Randall looked down at Annie’s drawing.

Three stick men – two brown, one pink – hovered near the top of the page, surrounded by blue sky and clouds; a fourth, tan, stood near the bottom, his “feet” firmly planted on a green line that Randall assumed was grass.

“It’s beautiful, honey,” he said. “Is there a story behind it?”

“It’s all my grandpas,” Annie explained.

Randall stopped breathing for a moment, but forced himself to restart as Annie continued to narrate the picture.

“That’s Grandpa Jack, and that’s Grandpa Abe,” she said, pointing at the pink figure, then the first brown one. Upon closer inspection, Randall noticed that “Jack” had a mustache, and “Abe” had gray hair – just like in the pictures he and Beth displayed throughout the house. “They went to Heaven before I was born. And Grandpa William just went to Heaven, so he gets to meet them.” The second brown figure was wearing a hat.

As the tears came to Randall’s eyes, he made a split-second parenting decision - in this case, it would do Annie more good to see that it’s OK to cry, even if you’re a daddy.

But Annie continued, oblivious. “And that’s Grandpa Miguel,” she said, pointing at the fourth figure. “He’s not in Heaven yet. Uncle Kevin says everyone dies, but William was sick and Miguel is healthy, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right, baby,” Randall confirmed.

She nodded, proud of her work. “I have four grandpas.”

“You sure do. Not a lot of kids have that many.”

“Hayden at school does. Her mama’s dad, her mommy’s dad, her stepmom’s dad, and her donor’s dad.”

_Well_ , Randall thought, _no wonder the girls took William’s relationship with Jesse in stride._

“And Jaden has his mom’s dad, his dad’s dad, his dad’s stepdad, his stepmom’s dad, and his stepdad’s dad. That five. I think that’s the most at school.”

“You’re probably right.”

“But most kids only have one or two grandpas from each parent. I have three grandpas just from you. You have two dads and a stepdad, and none of them even married each other!”

“That’s, uh… that’s true, yeah.” Whatever else Randall might think of Miguel, there was no denying he was a wonderful grandfather to the girls.

“You’re my only dad, though.”

“That’s right, I am.”

Annie gave him a long look, then smiled. “You’re as good as six dads.”

“Six whole dads, huh?”

Annie threw her arms around him, then, and Randall just held on as long as he could before his little girl ran off to show her drawing to Beth.


End file.
